A Christmas Rose
by LumosLeah
Summary: Rose Weasley is stuck at Hogwarts with her cousins while her parents, Aunt and Uncle are visting Romania - just her luck! She doesn't think it can get any worse, but when you throw a certain Scorpius Malfoy into the equation... Well, things are definitely going to get interesting!
1. Christmas with a Malfoy? Oh, brilliant

It was undoubtedly going to be a very strange Christmas that year.

Due to the fact that mum and dad were off to Romania with Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny to visit Uncle Charlie (who I've seen literally once in my life), me and Hugo and my three cousins James, Albus and Lily had been dumped and left mercilessly in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts for the entire Christmas holidays.

Gee, thanks parents.

To be honest, they all did seem rather guilty about it, but not guilty enough to take us by the hand and allow us to the beautiful scenery of Romania with them.

After a lot of extensive thinking the night of the last day of school as I lay in bed basking in my bitterness, I finally realized that maybe this wasn't going to be so bad – we could have parties, discover secret castle passages, and stay up late!

Oh, wait, we do that already (we are 6th years after all!).

It's safe to say, I wasn't feeling too friendly the next morning as I headed down to the Great Hall where James and Albus were probably already stuffing their faces (Lily would still be asleep: I could hear her now – "I need my beauty sleep, Rosie!"). Hugo would be in bed as well and wouldn't emerge until about 4PM, no doubt.

That's where things turned interesting…

"Alright, Rosie?" James grinned at me through a mouthful of beans, ruffling my slightly curly dark red hair. I honestly don't know how girls find him so attractive.

"Oh yeah, we've been dumped here over Christmas with nothing but ourselves to keep us company, I couldn't be better!" I reply sourly, stabbing a fork into a sausage. Of course, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid were seated at the staff table, presumably in an avid discussion about the strange creatures Hagrid keeps around his hut, and various other professor's would be in school also.

"It's already dead, Rose, you don't need to stab it so hard." Albus commented, smirking at my temper and nodding at the meat.

"Well, I wouldn't say only ourselves to keep us company…" James began, jerking his head across the Hall.

I swivelled round and my stomach dropped.

Sat across at the Slytherin table were Romeo Zabini, Eloise Stunt, Harley Parkinson and… Scorpius Malfoy.

KILL ME.

I mean sure, ever since the Great War ended (since mum, dad and Uncle Harry saved everyone's arses – just throwing that in there), House Unity has become much more apparent and not many people still believe in Blood Status – however there are a few who quite obviously do.

And they were all sat merely metres away from us.

Deep in conversation with Zabini, Malfoy's blond hair flopped across his face, concealing his light blue eyes that always seemed to look soulless and hard. Admittedly, he was rather good-looking; that's what practically every girl at Hogwarts thought anyway.

He had aristocratic cheekbones that swept up his face, a hard lined jaw, a straight nose and light, sea coloured eyes. His blond hair, unlike his father's, was tousled and messy and was so platinum blond it seemed to project its own bloody light source and he constantly seemed to be running his hand through it. He was never seen without that signature Malfoy smirk – unless it had been replaced with a glare, that is. He had a lean, slightly muscular body from Quidditch (he was the Slytherin keeper) that was lightly tanned and he wore his Slytherin uniform in a relaxed fashion.

The catch, of course, was that he was a cruel, slimy git.

"We'll just ignore them, Rosie. This castle's huge, I'm sure we can avoid them for a couple of weeks." Al stated firmly, snapping me back into reality. He pushed his messy black hair back and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Why have you got your bag? We don't have school, in case you've forgotten." I asked curiously.

"Yeah, well, I thought I could catch up with some work I've missed out on, you know, start off next term well and all that." He looked around distractedly. I notice Eloise Stunt is no longer with her band of Snakes.

I paused: "Who are you and what have you done with my cousin?"

He laughed sarcastically and hurried off down the Hall, presumably to take refuge in the library.

"What's all that about?" I turn around to James, who is surprisingly falling asleep on the table.

"Trying to impress this girl…" He mutters sleepily, snuggling further into his arm.

I smile and sigh down at my cousin – Quidditch is really taking it out of him this year.

"This is the kind of commitment you need if you want to get in to the Chudley Cannon's, Rosie!" I can practically hear his cheeky grin in my mind as he smashes yet another Quaffle in my direction… Fun summer, that was. Not.

I stand up, smooth down my t-shirt and grab a breakfast muffin – it's the only way I'll be able to lure Lily out of bed.

As I head down the corridor towards the staircase leading up to Gryffindor Tower, I hear a shuffling behind me and spin round.

"Hello?"

No answer.

I shrug and continue on my way, my pink Converse patting softly on the cold stone floor. I dressed simply, in dark wash jeans, a dark pink t-shirt from a Muggle brand called Hollister and my deep red, slightly curly hair is falling naturally to my waist. I pulled on a plain black cloak before leaving my dorm though, as it is winter and Hogwarts is a medieval castle – heating is not guaranteed.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps falling behind me and I whisk round once again, to find none other than Malfoy following me!

"What do you think you're doing?" I ask coldly, grabbing my wand but keeping it inside my cloak.

"Walking, Weasley. You seem to be doing it too." He smirks, stuffing his own hands deep into his pockets.

"That's not what I meant. Why are you following me?" I demand, my hand tightening around the wand.

"Tell me, why would I be spending my Saturday following a loser like you around?" He says softly.

I sigh in disgust.

"You really are a vile piece of work, Malfoy. Stop harassing me and leave me alone." I turn on my heel and stalk off, my face flushing in anger.

"Oi!" He calls.

"What?" I snap, still not turning around.

"To be honest, for a Weasley, you're not that repulsive." He states simply.

I force myself not to stop, though to tell you the truth, his comment nearly made me faint with shock. That was probably the nicest thing Malfoy has said to me – no, scrap that – it's the only nice thing Malfoy has ever said to me!

Well, it was a nice comment for him, anyway.

"Isn't that wonderful!" I remark sarcastically and turn around the corner before leaning back against the wall.

Why did he bother to say that?

What did it even mean?

Do I care?

Why should I care?

Why is that boy so bloody confusing?!


	2. A Visit to the Library

"Lily!" I hiss. "Lily, wake up!" I shake the small figure beneath me, arousing her from sleep.

"Get lost, Rose." She murmurs, snuggling deeper into her pillow.

"I bring food." I grin, flopping onto the armchair in the corner.

Suddenly, she bolts upright, her bright green eyes wide and hopeful.

I laugh and chuck her the muffin, flopping my legs over the side of the chair and leaning back against the arm.

"Sleep well?" I ask, flipping through a tattered copy of Hogwarts: A History. "Hey, this is mine! I've been looking for this!" I cry, seeing a crossed out scrawl of "Property of Hermione Granger" replaced with a "Property of Rose Weasley".

"Oh year, I keep forgetting to give that back." Lily states, stuffing more muffin into her mouth.

I shrink the book down and bury it into my pocket.

"So, Al likes this girl. Any idea who it is?" I announce..

"No idea." She replies, shuffling across to the bathroom. She leaves the door open and I see her brushing her teeth, inspecting her reflection as she does so.

"You're so vain!" I smirk, watching as she leans forward, toothbrush still in mouth, and squeezes an imaginary pimple.

"I'm not! I just like to take pride in my appearance!" She sniffs defensively, closing the door.

For about 5 minutes, I sit and simply let my mind wander to the previous events of this morning.

Malfoy hadn't actually told me where he was going and he didn't walk past me when I paused at that corner; could he really, _possibly_, have been following _me_?

I shake the thought away – I was, according to Malfoy, a loser and he was the most popular boy in school, along with James and Albus so he could get any girl he wanted – and he definitely knew that!

On several occasions, I had been innocently trying to get to class when I would turn a corner and witness Malfoy and some blonde bimbo, most likely from Slytherin, sucking each other's faces off.

I know I would never be one of those bimbo's he so often snogs.

Not that I care.

Noooo way.

…Do I?

000000000000000000000000000

Sighing, I settle myself into my favourite armchair in the empty library, the warm glow from the fire igniting my hair and flushing my skin.

In my hand is a Muggle book called Pride and Prejudice and I'm just about to carry on reading from my saved page when the heavy wooden door opens and closes softly, drawing my attention from the pages of my novel.

Curiously, I peer through the many towering bookcases and make out a tall figure skulking through the thousands of books, silent, sleek, but not necessarily threatening.

I lean forward, peering through the shelves and nearly fall off of my chair when I notice that familiar flash of platinum blond hair.

What the bloody hell is _Malfoy_ doing in the library?!

I watch, weirdly entranced as his surprisingly delicate fingers trail along the many rows of literature – I know the feeling. Letting your fingers roam at their own accord until they finally feel that familiar sense of electricity bolt through them when they know they've found a masterpiece, each time more exciting than the last.

Finally, he extracts a copy of a book that, once again, I'm sure I've seen before, and I'm still staring as he settles himself into an armchair pretty much opposite me, not noticing my curled up body through a towering pile of books on the table separating us.

He opens the novel, cracking the worn spine and inhaling deeply as he prepares himself for what is about to come – the unconscious feeling of losing yourself in a truly incredible story.

His ocean eyes flash from the light of the fire as they dance across the pages of the book and his hair flops forward onto his forehead. His usual smirk or glare that takes over his face has been replaced with a relaxed look and his emotions are unreadable as he stares comfortably down at the words in front of him. His long legs are balanced on a small coffee table in front of him and his light grey joggers and plain white t-shirt look dishevelled and slouchy, yet he still manages to look incredibly… well, sexy.

Annoyingly sexy, though.

Hang on a second… I knew I'd seen that book before! Pride and Prejudice!

An exasperated gasp unceremoniously escapes my lips and before I know it his perfect face is peering over the pile of books in front of me, that smirk fastened back in its place.

"Alright over there, Weasley?" He asks, closing the novel and placing it in his lap. It seems like he was looking to have an actual conversation with me, which is just weird in itself.

"I'm fine, Malfoy. What are you doing here? You don't usually come here!" I babble, shock still engulfing my body.

He chuckles lightly.

"And you would know that, wouldn't you Weasley? Considering you never actually leave this place." He looks around the library, temporarily avoiding eye contact with me.

"I like it in here." I state simply, flicking back to my page and deciding ignoring him would probably be best.

After about 5 minutes, I completely forget where I am or what I'm doing until I hear a slight shuffling and look up to discover Malfoy now slouching in the chair next to me, engrossed in his copy of Pride and Prejudice too.

I decide not to question his movement from across the room to next to me and let him carry on.

"What chapter?" He asks suddenly, not letting his eyes leave the pages.

"Seven." I reply without hesitation. "You?"

"Eight."

I glance up again and realize he is actually properly smiling at me, not a grin, not a smirk, just a closed-mouth smile that makes him look unbelievably attractive and I smile back in the same way, allowing the unusually tension free air to lull me into oblivion as I once again get lost in the world of my book, my sworn enemy doing the same next to me, my own dainty hand eventually finding it's way into his own strong one and whatever is happening in that moment I do not care to know, for I am here and so is he, I have my book and that's all that matters.


	3. Embarrassment Overload

**Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter, I wasn't really feeling it today! I just decided to end it there and then and start the next chapter either tomorrow or Monday. **

**Until then, enjoy this one as much as you can haha :)**

I wake suddenly and wince as my aching neck jars.

My blurry vision eventually sorts itself out and for some reason I find myself in the library, the last glowing embers of the fire dying slowly and peacefully.

My book has ended up on the table across from me, but that's not what shocks me the most.

No, what shocks me the most is the fact my hand is currently clasped in none other than Scorpius Malfoy's.

The events of a few hours earlier (according to Malfoy's watch) slowly come creeping back to me and I flush in embarrassment, hastily extracting my hand from his and scooping up my book.

With one last fleeting glance at the heavily sleeping boy, I turn and flee the room, the shock of the cold corridor air like a slap in the face.

How could I have been so stupid?!

Okay, yes he was gorgeous, but he was evil!

He bullied me!

He hates me and I hate him!

…So why did I wake up to find his hand in mine?!

Running a hand roughly through my tangled curls, I determinedly march on, eager to get back to my own bed, hoping Lily wasn't awake to discover me gone.

Thankfully, I see the Fat Lady portrait sneak into my view and I'm glad I made the walk back without bumping into anyone – especially Malfoy.

I hastily hiss the password "Animus" (the Latin word for bravery) and stumble through the pitch black darkness, dragging my tired body up the stairs and collapsing on my bed in a state of guilt.

If any of my family ever found out about mine and Malfoy's little "confrontation", they would never speak to me again. Full stop.

Eventually, I fall into a restless sleep, overshadowed by dreams of Malfoy, his face taking them over and whispering for me to be with him…

Yeah bloody right!

000000000000000000000000000

My eyes groggily peel open and then hastily snap shut as the fresh morning light burns into them like fire. Tugging the bed sheet over my head, the memories of last night come back to me and my face flushes with embarrassment at the thought of seeing Malfoy again.

Sworn enemies do not hold hands! They just don't!

No matter how nice their hand feels.

Did I just say that?

Wow.

I sigh (I seem to be sighing a lot lately) and drag myself out of bed, shocked to see Lily's empty and the dorm free of her vanilla scent. I get dressed slowly, savouring my Malfoy-free time and brush the knots out of my hair, scraping it into a messy pony tail and allowing the curls to wrap around each other untamed. For some reason, I find myself unconsciously rubbing on a bit of foundation and coating my lashes in a thin layer of mascara. Weird.

I shove my shoes on my feet and make my way down the stairs, deciding to just get it over and done with and go to the Great Hall, regardless of whether Malfoy was there or not.

I just realllllly hope he isn't!


	4. Let's have a chat, Weasley

I decide to try and make my way across to the Gryffindor table discreetly, hoping to go unnoticed where I can shove some bacon down me and then hide out in my dorm until I eventually have to come out when classes start back up in 2 weeks.

Sounds like a plan.

However, when you have a clueless brother and two loud mouthed cousins waiting for you, going unnoticed is something that doesn't occur very often.

"ROSE! ROSIE, COME HERE!" The bellow carries across the hall and I feel my face heating up straight away – damn these stupid genes.

I duck my head so my hair covers my face (in case Malfoy is in here; I haven't had the chance to discreetly check yet) and walk quickly over, mentally taking a note to kill Hugo later – the object of the bellow.

"Why do you have to shout so loud?!" I exclaim, sitting down next to my brother and ravenously grabbing some bacon and toast.

"Sorry!" Hugo mumbles apologetically. "But it's Christmas Eve Eve!"

"What do you mean, Christmas Eve EVE?" I laugh.

"It's the 23rd, the eve of the 24th, which is officially Christmas Eve!" He grins happily – sometimes I wonder whether he is 14 or 4.

I roll my eyes and am about to carry on eating when a sharp tap on the shoulder sends my stomach plummeting to the ground – along with my appetite.

Hmm, I wonder who that could be?!

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Albus pipes up for the first time that morning, glaring at the Slytherin behind me.

"I simply wanted to talk to your cousin, Potter." He states.

"Rose doesn't want to talk to you!" Hugo interjects.

"Well, maybe she can owl me sometime then." Malfoy bites out sarcastically.

"Whatever you have to say you my cousin can't be that important – anything you say isn't important, Malfoy. Besides, Rose wouldn't want to hear it, and neither do we, so BUGGER OFF!" Lily's voice rises, earning a dejecting look from McGonagall at the professor's table.

"I am here you know!" I cry, sliding quickly out of my seat. "You guys -," I glare at my family, "shut up! And you -," I glare at Malfoy, "what do you want?!"

"Nothing, really. Just a chat." He smirks.

I stare at him exasperatedly – it's barely 10 in the morning and my emotions have already been worn out for the day.

"A chat." I reply in a monotone – it's more of a statement than a question.

"A chat." He smiles that same smile at me, the one he gave me in the library: not a smirk, or a grin, just a… smile.

I sigh and motion towards the doors, earning confused looks from my family members. I shrug and follow Malfoy, who had already begun walking casually out of the Hall, hands shoved nonchalantly in his pockets.

As he saunters along, I can't help but take in his appearance.

He's wearing dark blue jeans and a light grey t-shirt with the words "Brooklyn New York Athletes 76" sprawled across the front; his grey Nike Blazers slap softly on the stone floor; his hair is attractively messy and as blond as ever and despite the cold weather, he's still rather tanned.

You can see his muscles through his t-shirt though.

STOP IT ROSE!

We eventually arrive at the library and he holds the door open, dramatically holding out his arm and indicating for me to go first, smirking all the while.

I curtsey sarcastically and saunter past, straight over to a bookcase.

He chuckles behind me and I feel myself smile slightly, despite the fact I - well, I hate him.

I pretend to be pondering over a few books, tilting my head upwards slightly to read the titles and letting my fingers trail over the spines. I feel him standing behind me, I can even feel his hot breath blowing my hair slightly, yet I don't turn around – he dragged me here, so I'm not going to be the first to speak!

We stay that way for a good two minutes, me masking my slight blush over his stare by flicking aimlessly through various random books, him looking at me and sighing occasionally.

I ponder the thought of turning around and walking out if this is what we're going to do the whole time, but before I can make a move he speaks.

"Rose."

I turn and face him, concealing my shock at the use of my first name.

"Scorpius." I smirk, but he doesn't smile back. Instead, he stands and walks over to me, his ocean eyes burning into my own sapphire ones.

What – is – happening?

For a start, he's standing so close I can feel his breath on my neck and his smell – an intoxicating smell of men's deodorant – engulfs the air and I feel myself physically drawn to him.

Secondly, he's looking at me in a way he's never looked at me before – he is literally staring at my face, and as usual, my face is blushing slightly.

Suddenly, he raises a hand and his finger trails lightly across my jawbone as his gaze flicks to my lips.

What.

What is even happening.

He bites his own lip and looks me straight in my eyes, looking so freaking gorgeous my knees literally feel like they're about to give way.

It's a good job he grabbed my waist and pulled me against him then.

WAIT, WHAT?!

I breathe in sharply at the sudden contact and my arms seem to develop a life of their own as they snake over his chest and my hands tangle themselves in his hair, which is just as soft as I always thought it would be. I can feel the heat radiating off of him and he thumbs caress my hips softly, holding me close to him, his gaze finally leaving my lips and looking deep into my eyes, almost as if they're asking for something I never thought would ever happen.

In response, my lips part slightly and it happens straight away, without hesitation – Scorpius Malfoy's mouth comes crashing onto mine and he kisses me, he kisses me in the most mind-blowing way that I can barely stand up. He pushes me against a bookshelf without breaking the kiss and I let my hands fall to his waist; he cups my face and trails his tongue along my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I oblige and our tongues are battling for dominance in seconds, second electric sparks through me and clearly him too, as he moans softly and presses himself harder against me.

I know I should break the kiss because, quite frankly, anyone could walk in right now and see us and also, he is my sworn enemy, and sworn enemies do not kiss.

But why does my sworn enemy have to be so good looking and such an amazing kisser?! It's not fair!

I feel slightly disappointed when he pulls away but then his lips begin to trail kisses across my jaw bone and down my neck and I lose the ability to think and probably won't be able to string a coherent sentence together for the next few hours but it's okay because right now…

Right now, I've never felt so sure of something.

I've never felt so wanted, appreciated and needed.

And it feels pretty damn good!

I moan as he gently bites my neck and I feel him smile against it before coming back up to look at me briefly:

"You have no idea how long I've wanted this."

And with that, we're back to snogging.

I don't know how long we kiss for, but when we're done we part slowly. My eyes stay shut as I'm trying to think about what just happened but my thoughts keep getting interrupted when he kisses me lightly on the lips, coaxing my eyes open and revealing my "enemy". Maybe.

He's smiling slightly, still holding my waist; his hair is tousled and his lips are pink; his eyes are heavy lidded, dark and filled with passion and I just want to grab him and snog him senseless again – but instead I laugh slightly, lean back against the books and cover my eyes with my hand, feeling the embarrassment kick in and the blush take over.

"I don't understand, Malfoy." I mumble, leaning forward and resting my head on his shoulder.

"Understand what?" He replies.

"What are we? I thought we were enemies, but enemies don't… well, kiss." I smile.

"I thought we were enemies too, but there's something about you, Ro – Weasley. You're different. You're level-headed, you're confident, you're… brilliant." He sighs, pulling me up to look at him.

"But I'm a Mudblood, remember? I'm a blood traitor." I say, looking him straight in the eyes.

He has the decency to look sheepish and stare at a book behind me, but he doesn't pull away.

"My father would disown me if anything ever happened between me and a Weasley… and I can't let that happen." He rubs his forehead as if warding off a headache and finally lets his arms drop to his side – I suddenly feel cold, bare without his touch.

"And my family would never forgive me if anything happened between me and a Malfoy." I echo, standing back a bit. "So where does that leave us? We pretend nothing happened?" I ask.

"We… I…" He hesitates before looking up from the floor. "Yes. We pretend nothing happened."

I can't say I was pleased to hear this, but it didn't crush me too much – I mean, sure he was a good kisser, but he'd said so many horrible things to me over the years.

It wasn't like I loved the boy – I probably just fancied him a bit.

This was silly crush and in a few days I would be over it, back to hating the git for something he was bound to say sooner or later.

I smile sadly at him and he kisses me softly on the lips, just a gentle peck, before walking out of the library and going back to acting as if he thought I was scum – and as soon as I walked out of those doors, that was exactly what I would do too.

**REVIEW, FAVE, FOLLOW AND ENJOY MY LOVELY'S ;)**

**-Leah x**


End file.
